— For the first time ever, female ski jumpers will compete in a FIS World Cup event, beginning with Saturday’s event in Lillehammer, Norway. After fighting long and hard to have women’s ski jumping included in the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, the addition of a female field to the World Cup is big step in the direction of gender equality in modern athletics.

FIS reports that over 50 women from 15 countries are expected to compete.

— Germany is getting amped for their first home World Cup of the season, which kicks off in Dusseldorf on Saturday. Tens of thousands of spectators are expected to line the course that overlooks the Rhine River. Stay tuned for FasterSkier staff predictions.

— Even though he’s not racing in Dusseldorf this weekend, Petter Northug (NOR) still found a way to sneak into our RSS feed. Apparently the Nordic celebrity is now the proud owner of a horse named Touched By An Angel. The article is unclear as to whether this is a name of Northug’s choosing. He recently bought shares in the “people’s horse,” which anyone can do if they want to own the racehorse for a year. Touched By An Angel will race primarily in Northug’s hometown of Trondheim.

Northug isn’t the only ski star to get into horse racing. Vibeke Skofterud (NOR) owns the shares to Charge d’Affaires, who races in Momarken.